McCain has picked veep, but name under wraps

Romney, who appeared at private events today in California, is viewed as a top prospect because of the belief that he could shore up the Republican ticket's credentials on economic issues. He also might help win the tossup state of Michigan, where Romney was raised and his father, George, served as governor. Romney might also help in Nevada, which has a large population of fellow Mormons.

However, Romney's chances could be hurt by the fact that he had a privileged upbringing and has a personal fortune in the hundreds of millions of dollars. He spent $45 million of his own money during the primaries, including paying for ads that questioned whether McCain is "the right Republican" to occupy the Oval Office. Romney said this week in Denver that he and McCain have patched up their differences since the primaries and have become friends, and he has become one of McCain's most active surrogates.

Pawlenty, while little-known nationally, is one of McCain's favorite politicians and one of the earliest major supporters of his presidential bid. He came from working class roots and worships at an evangelical church, and could counter the blue-collar appeal of the Democratic vice presidential selection, Senator Joseph Biden.

Pawlenty appeared early yesterday in Denver as part of the Republican Party's response to the Democratic National Convention, feistily attacking Obama, saying, "Senator Obama, what have you done and what have you run? When you look at those two questions, the answer is not much and nothing."

He then abruptly canceled several afternoon interviews, leading to speculation that it might be related to the vice presidential decision. Pawlenty also told Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, that he planned to be in Minnesota for the State Fair Friday.

McCain has spoken highly of all of the prospects. In an interview with Pittsburgh radio station KDKA, which aired today, McCain called Ridge "a great American and a great and dear friend and I rely on him and I have for many years." The two men are both Vietnam War veterans, but Ridge supports abortion rights so his selection would upset many Republicans.

Lieberman, who was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in 2000, has endorsed McCain and plans to address the Republican convention. While some anti-abortion delegates have said they would walk out of the convention if Lieberman is the vice presidential nominee, Lieberman could help McCain win over independents and Democrats.

McCain had hoped to make his choice by Tuesday, but he reportedly delayed the final decision because he wanted to discuss it with his wife, Cindy, who had returned to the McCain's home in Arizona on Wednesday night. A campaign official confirmed late today that McCain had made his decision and that the running mates would appear at Friday's rally.

While the nation has focused on the Democratic convention, McCain has garnered extensive coverage in the swing state of Ohio as a result of his decision to make the announcement here. Newspapers have been filled with stories for days about the McCain announcement, and his arrival this evening at Dayton International Airport was covered live on a local news station. By contrast, Obama made his vice presidential announcement in his home state of Illinois, which he is expected to carry easily, before traveling to swing states.

But the McCain campaign and local Republican officials today were reportedly scrambling to give away the remainder of 10,000 tickets to the Dayton rally, which they hope will be his largest and show enthusiasm for the Republican ticket, the morning after Obama accepted the nomination in a 75,000-seat stadium.